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#1
10-20-2014, 04:29 PM
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GS Mini Koa - amazing.
I played the Taylor GS Mini Koa (solid Koa top and laminate Koa back/sides) today at lunch. I think it was the best sounding GS Mini I've ever played. It filled the acoustic room. Full of tone, projection and volume with a surprising amount of low end.
It had the ES system in it. Too bad it had the electronics because it pushed the price to over $700. Has anyone ever played the Mini Koa before? 
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#2
10-20-2014, 05:53 PM
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Can't find the darn things! When I checked at GC on Thursday they showed two in their inventory nationwide.
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Taylor 214e Taylor GS Mini-E Walnut & Koa Kentucky 505 mandolin Ome Wizard banjo Deering Eagle II Openback banjo Full Time RVer mainly in California & Arizona
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#3
10-20-2014, 06:04 PM
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Quote:
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#4
10-20-2014, 06:34 PM
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I've seen two of them, one at Sam Ash, one at George's Music. Local GC doesn't have them. Note: I recently bought a 326ce-K FLTD from the local Sam Ash. It's nice and dark and has a great pattern in the grain. Having said that, both of the Koa mini's I've seen were very, very light in color, with very little pattern in the grain. Not even close to being as dark as a mahogany mini. Only got to play one of them. It did sound nice though.
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#5
10-20-2014, 07:54 PM
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Yes, they're great sounding and looking for the price, as you say, considering they have built in ES-T electronics.
Here's mine - gorgeous 3D flame, but not all are this figured.....    
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"The guitar is the perfect drug because when you play it you're in no pain, and when you put it down, there's no hangover." Paul Reed Smith 2018 Taylor 812ce 12-fret DLX 2016 Taylor GS Mini-e Koa
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#7
10-20-2014, 08:09 PM
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Quote:
 If this is accurate, Empire Music has a couple in stock.... http://empiremusiconline.com/product...koa-fltd-4106/ http://empiremusiconline.com/product...koa-fltd-4099/
__________________
"The guitar is the perfect drug because when you play it you're in no pain, and when you put it down, there's no hangover." Paul Reed Smith 2018 Taylor 812ce 12-fret DLX 2016 Taylor GS Mini-e Koa
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#9
10-20-2014, 09:04 PM
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Quote:
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#10
10-20-2014, 09:46 PM
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I've looked forward to a review! I don't know if I could ever adjust to the short scale, but that is a good price for Koa top and Koa laminate.
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#11
10-21-2014, 01:15 AM
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Quote:
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Cort AS-E4 Taylor GS Mini Mahogany --
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#12
10-21-2014, 05:35 AM
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A great little guitar!
    First impressions: I expected the koa wood to be relatively "plain" on a budget instrument such as this. It isn't! There is a lot of curly flame and chatoyance, where the whole thing moves like a hologram as you turn it against the light. Lots of characterful dark streaks in the grain too. I really like it. I am used to playing guitars with a 1-3/4" neck these days, so I was interested to see how I would adapt to the 1-11/16" nut width. After a couple minutes my fingers/brain adapted nicely. Strangely, it was the right hand that took a little more concentration as the string spacing is narrower, and my fingerpicking thumb missed a few times, but that was quickly overcome. I was surprised at the feel of the neck. It is thicker (from the face of the fingerboard to the back of the neck) than my other Taylor and my Martins, which gave it an "old style" feel, not unlike my 1960s D-18. Quite beefy in fact, but with a good feeling profile. Tone: Now I confess to liking my guitars to have a tone tending towards the mellow end of the spectrum. This is something that one doesn't expect from a budget guitar and not from a small box such as the GS Mini. But I was more than pleasantly surprised. There was a little boxyness and brittleness to the sound on the wound strings, but I could hear the potential. Certainly the best small guitar sound that I have ever heard in my 50 plus years of playing. I wonder if.... and so I changed the bridge pins from the plastic ones to ebony. That made a huge difference. Very noticeably indeed. That works with the koa top beautifully. More mellow and fatter. Sustain: This was something that I really didn't expect. It came as a big surprise! The 2014 GS Mini-e Koa guitar has sustain that rings on for ages. I particularly like that when playing slower fingerstyle tunes, where the notes "fill in" the chords as you continue to play. Power: The GS Mini comes with medium gauge strings. I usually use lights on my guitars, but the shorter scale makes them feel lighter under the fretting fingers.... and it produces lots of power when you ask it to. Volume in spades full. The ES Pickup: I played for a little while with the guitar plugged in. No worries or concerns at all. Adding a little reverb at the amp was needed to reproduce the acoustic sound. A little touch on the EQ or on the onboard controls was needed, for my ear and what I want to hear. Increasing the bass a little and backing off the trebles a little. But that's just me, as I prefer "mellow" rather than harsh in your face. Back to playing  Rod
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Rod Neep - England
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#13
10-21-2014, 05:37 AM
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A pretty quick and dirty recording. (Played acoustic)
Recorded with a Yamaha "Pocketrack 2G" little handheld recorder at about 18" from the guitar. No effects added. Just a straight recording. Various styles of playing so that you can get an idea of its versatility: fingerpicking (Darcy Farrow) slow fingerstyle (Amazing Grace) Flatpicking Strumming Certainly sounds better, (and more representative of the real sound) through earphones of course. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...nikoa-fltd.WAV
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Rod Neep - England
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#14
10-21-2014, 05:45 AM
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I was just teasing that they were now only available in the UK. I'll wait 'til next 1st. April and try again ! Great review from Rod. BTW.
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#15
10-21-2014, 06:03 AM
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Agh! Please don't post these threads on here !!
I passed on a Koa Mini when a local store got a small batch in. I couldn't get the chance to play them and didn't want to go with an unknown quantity... Always thought in the back of my mind that it was a bad decision and I should have just gone for one. Threads like these, espousing how great they are, is just another boot in my backside for not jumping at the chance! :P
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